


Something Good Can Work

by corgasbord



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, Fluff, M/M, Talentswap, casual crossdressing, it's back and gayer than ever, maid kaito: the sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 03:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10868250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corgasbord/pseuds/corgasbord
Summary: After spending enough time around Shuuichi, Kaito decides that he really likes him. But only as a friend, of course. It's not that deep.... Right?





	Something Good Can Work

**Author's Note:**

> a few people told me that i should bring back maid!kaito (from [this](http://holy-shit-dangan-ronpa.tumblr.com/tagged/meg%27s-v3-talentswap-au) talentswap au), so i figured, hey, why not? i ended up spending way more time on it than i originally intended, because i have no self-control, but oh well.
> 
> this is a direct sequel to [Live a Little](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10532670), so you should read that first if you haven't already!
> 
> (here's the [tumblr](http://corgiboard.tumblr.com/post/160499226175/something-good-can-work) link, as usual!)

Kaito hasn’t really felt the same since the day he gave Shuuichi Saihara his number.

Maybe it’s because he’s never given his private phone number out before, in spite of the way his many fans have clamored for it. Maybe it’s because he feels like he’s actually made a friend. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that no one else has ever given him a sketchbook filled with portraits of himself. 

The exact reason doesn’t matter, though. What _does_ matter is that he can’t remember a time when he would get so excited to see a specific customer. Shuuichi is the one he greets the most boisterously, the one he seats the fastest, and the one he scrambles to serve as promptly as possible.

Shuuichi is also the one he finds himself unconsciously observing while cleaning, or manning the front counter. He doesn’t even notice most of the time, not unless Shuuichi happens to glance up and meet his eyes from across the room. Whenever that happens, Kaito will grin and wave unabashedly, and Shuuichi will start to turn pink, but he’ll shyly wave back with a smile that makes Kaito’s stomach flip for some reason.

After one such instance, he feels a tug on his elbow and turns to see one of his co-workers standing next to him with a serious expression. “Momota-kun. We need to talk.”

“Oh. Uh, okay?” That’s all he has the chance to say before she’s pulling him off to the back, into the part of the café that’s off-limits to customers.

As soon as the two of them are alone, the other maid turns to face him with her hands on her hips. She’s significantly shorter than he is, but for some reason Kaito finds himself mildly intimidated by how fiercely she holds his gaze.

"Do you have any idea how much you’ve been spacing out lately?” she asks. 

“What? I haven’t been spacing out,” Kaito says, frowning indignantly. “I’ve been doing my job, same as always.”

“No, not same as always. You’ve obviously been distracted, and it’s going to start affecting your performance before long,” she insists. 

“But it hasn’t yet, has it?” Then he recognizes the futility of that argument and hastily corrects himself. “I mean- like I was sayin’, I haven’t been distracted to begin with! Like, what do I even have to get distracted by? You know I love this job more than anything, Minami.”

“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Minami huffs. “Or rather, _whom_ I’m talking about.”

Kaito tilts his head, giving her a blank stare. “Whom?”

She rolls her eyes, exasperated. “That artsy boy- what’s his name again? Something-hara?”

“Oh, Saihara-sama!” he says, face lighting up with recognition. “Hey, he’s not a distraction. He just happens to be my favorite regular!" 

“Is that why you can’t seem to quit watching him while he’s eating?”

Kaito sputters. “I- I don’t do that! That’d be weird!”

“Yes, you do, and yes, it is weird. And kind of embarrassing to witness,” Minami says. “I’m not the only one who’s noticed, either. The other maids are starting to talk.”

“Oh, they are, huh? And just what the hell are they saying about me?” Kaito asks defensively. “Anyone who’s got a problem with how I do my job should come say it to my fuckin’ face.”

“Why do you think I’m talking to you right now? I already said that this is going to become a problem,” she sighs. “Oh, but that’s not all. They also think that you should stop beating around the bush and just ask him out already.”

Kaito gapes at her. “ _What?_ ”

“To be honest, I kind of agree with them,” she continues, ignoring his shock. “Didn’t you already give him your private number? That’s only, like, a step below asking someone for a date.”

“But- that wasn’t what I-” he stammers, tripping over his words as a hot, frustrated flush fills his face. “I’m… I’m not gay!”

Minami snorts. “Momota-kun, you work in a maid café. You wear a dress almost daily. Do you really think anyone's going to care at this point if you like men?”

“But I don't! Just because I happen to think he’s pretty cool and I like serving him doesn’t mean I wanna date him or anything!”

She gives him a long, incredulous look before letting out another sigh. “Whatever you say. Just don’t get so hung up on him that you start slacking.”

“M’not hung up on him,” he grumbles, turning on his heel and stalking back out into the main part of the café in a huff. What the hell do the other maids know about him and his friendship with Shuuichi, anyway? Sure, he gets along well with all of them, but that doesn’t give them the right to go making assumptions about his relationships.

He must still look flustered when he goes to Shuuichi’s table to clear his used dishes from it, because Shuuichi asks, “Are you all right, Momota-kun?”

Kaito answers quickly, trying not to sound nervous. “Huh? Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, your face is very red,” Shuuichi says. “Do you think you might be getting sick? If that’s the case, maybe you should take a day or two off.”

“Nah, I’m fine. Really. I was just, uh… doing some running around in the back. We’re kinda short-staffed at the moment,” Kaito lies as he finishes picking up Shuuichi’s dishes.

“Oh.” Shuuichi doesn’t seem entirely convinced, but nods along anyway. “Well, try not to overwork yourself too much.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ve handled worse!” Kaito assures Shuuichi, flashing him a grin before turning to head to the kitchen, sweating the whole way.

God, he needs to calm down and go splash some cold water on his face, or something. What even has him so on edge, anyway? It’s not like Minami or the others were saying anything he should give a second thought. Shuuichi is a customer and a friend. That’s it. That’s all there will ever be, because Kaito Momota isn’t into dudes.

He then discards that train of thought altogether, along with the dishes that he plunks into the half-full sink, because neither are worth any further attention.

\------

It turns out that not giving Shuuichi undue attention is a lot harder than Kaito thought.

He blames the other café maids for this, of course. They were the ones who put a bunch of weird ideas in his head, ideas that _definitely_ weren’t there before. Now he can’t help the paranoia that creeps into his brain every time he hears them tittering about something behind his back.

Well, screw them. They can talk all they want; he doesn’t care.

No matter how much he tells himself that, though, it doesn’t make him any less tense. At that rate, it’s no surprise that Shuuichi picks up on Kaito’s behavior during his next visit, and comments on it after Kaito has taken his order.

“You seem kind of on edge lately, Momota-kun. Is something troubling you?”

Kaito waves off Shuuichi’s concerns as nonchalantly as possible. “Ah, it’s nothing. Nothing you need to worry about, anyway.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure I’m sure,” Kaito says, then gives himself an excuse to exit the conversation. “Anyway, just sit tight and I'll bring your meal right out in a sec.”

And he does, but he’d be lying if he tried to claim he didn't rush the delivery. It's partially in order to avoid a conversation about what's on his mind, and partially to prove that he does _not_ focus too much on Shuuichi, thank you very much.

This inevitably comes back to bite him in the ass when he accidentally knocks Shuuichi’s drink over.

The good news is that it's ice water instead of hot coffee, now that the weather's gotten warmer. The bad news is that it's now pooling on the table, soaking into Shuuichi’s pants, and staining the sketchbook he was using.

_“Shit_ -” Kaito lets out a curse without realizing it as he scrambles to dab up the mess with some nearby napkins. “I am _so_ sorry, Saihara-sama, I totally didn’t mean to do that!”

Shuuichi, to his credit, doesn’t appear too upset by this development. He’s quick to move his sketchbook onto the seat beside him and feebly attempt to help wipe up the water. “Don’t- don’t worry about it, Momota-kun, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” Kaito says as he gathers the wet napkins with a guilty glance at Shuuichi’s sketchbook. “Look, I’ll… I’ll make it up to you somehow, okay?”

“You don’t have to,” Shuuichi insists, shaking his head and giving Kaito a strained smile. “Really, it’s fine. Accidents happen.”

Except accidents don’t happen. Not to Kaito Momota, the best damn café maid this side of Japan. He hasn’t spilled a drink since he was still in training for this job, and that’s something that he’s always taken pride in. A mistake like that might seem pretty innocuous to others, but not to someone who knows he can do better.

Kaito can’t stop thinking about it even after he’s retreated back to the kitchen. The task of dishwashing isn’t enough of a distraction, apparently, no matter how raw the scalding water makes his hands feel.

_God, what the_ fuck _has been up with me lately?_

\------

While Kaito isn’t surprised that Shuuichi still requests him during his next visit, he can’t help but to be overly conscious of his previous mistake. As such, he’s extra careful when bringing Shuuichi’s food and drink to him this time, and plans to be equally careful with the cleanup process.

As he goes to clear Shuuichi’s table, though, he notices that Shuuichi seems even more pensive and distant than usual, staring at nothing and idly tapping his fingertips against the edge of the table.

“Something else you need, Saihara-sama?” he asks, gently stacking plates and silverware on a serving tray.

Shuuichi doesn’t answer right away, so Kaito clears his throat. “Saihara-sama!”

That causes Shuuichi’s eyes to flick up to Kaito with a start. “Oh- um. Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

Kaito raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What’s on your mind?”

“I mean, it’s nothing you need to be concerned about,” Shuuichi says, anxiously readjusting his glasses. “It's just, uh… a friend's birthday is coming up, and I'm not sure what to do for her.”

“Well, you’re an artist, aren’t ya?” Kaito asks, even though he already knows all too well the scope of Shuuichi’s skill. “Why don’t you make her something?”

“That’s the thing- I don’t know what to make for her. I’ve drawn and painted her plenty of pieces in the past, so I feel like that would be too predictable,” he replies. Then he sighs and shakes his head. “Ah, sorry. This isn’t your problem, so I have no reason to complain to you about it.”

“Hey, now. It’s nothing to be sorry about,” Kaito says. “Actually, I might be able to help you out, if you want.”

“Oh- no, I couldn’t ask you to do that-”

“You don’t have to ask if I’m offering,” Kaito cuts him off. “Besides, I’ve got an idea: why don’t you bake her a cake?”

Shuuichi is giving him a dubious frown, so Kaito adds, “Just hear me out. As far as desserts go, cakes are easy to make and decorate. And you can put pretty much any design you want on ‘em, so I think that’d leave plenty of room for creativity!”

“... Hm. I hadn’t thought of that,” Shuuichi admits, bringing a finger to his chin. “But I’m not a baker, or a confectioner, so… I doubt I’d be able to pull that off.”

“You don’t need to be either of those things to do something meaningful for your friend’s birthday,” Kaito says with a scoff. “But if the problem is that you don’t know how, I could teach you.”

Shuuichi regards him with wide, surprised eyes. “Oh. Er, it’s fine, really, you don’t have to-”

“I know, but I want to. I mean, we’re friends, right? So helping you out with something I’m already good at doesn’t bother me.” Maybe that’s a little presumptuous of him, but he knows Shuuichi of all people won’t care. It’s also better than saying he still feels bad that he probably ruined one of Shuuichi’s sketchbooks. Not only is he still mortified about that, but somehow, he feels like Shuuichi wouldn’t accept his help if he brought that up.

After a few long moments of staring Kaito down, Shuuichi asks, “How exactly do you plan to go about helping me?”

Kaito smiles, pleased that Shuuichi seems a little more receptive to the idea. “Well, when’s this friend’s birthday?”

“The 26th.”

“Okay then, we can meet up sometime on the 25th,” Kaito decides. “I’m off in the evenings, so I’ll be free, if you wanna come over to my place.”

“But I don’t know where you live.”

“I can just text you the address.” Kaito lifts the serving tray, having already made up his mind. “We can work out the rest of the details when I’m off, okay?”

Shuuichi still appears thoroughly taken aback by this turn of events, but he manages to nod. “Um, sure. Okay.”

“All right, then it’s settled!” Kaito would give Shuuichi a thumbs-up, but his hands are full, so he shoots him a wink instead before heading back to the kitchen with an elated grin on his face.

There are a few other maids scattered around there already, one of whom approaches Kaito as soon as he’s set the tray down on an empty stretch of counter. He recalls that her name is Suzumiya, and that she’s relatively new. Maybe he can hold onto the hope that she won’t harass him about which customers he chooses to fraternize with.

“So, Momota-kun, how’d it go?” she asks.

He furrows his brow, confused. “How’d what go?” 

“You know, the thing with Saihara-kun. You just asked him out, didn’t you?” 

Well, so much for his high hopes.

“Wha- what the hell are you talking about?” Kaito hates that he can’t stop himself from stuttering, and he regards his co-worker with a scowl in an attempt to offset that. “I was _not_ asking him out!”

She raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You were out there talking to him for a while, and you came in here looking pretty happy.”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Kaito snaps defensively. “Seriously, how many times do I have to tell you guys that I don’t like him that way? It’s not fucking funny anymore!”

“Oh, is he still going on about that?” Minami enters the conversation, coming to stand next to the other maid. “Momota-kun, I don’t think being in denial is in your best interest. Remember how I warned you that getting distracted with all this pining is going to affect your performance at some point?”

“But I’m not pining in the first place! I keep telling you, I’m not gay!”

“Have you actually thought about it, though? Like, _really_ thought about it?” Suzumiya asks, crossing her arms. “Because it sounds like you’re scared. Like you think it’s a bad thing, or something.”

“I never said that it was! It’s just not what I am- and besides, it’s nobody else’s business, anyway!” Kaito protests, becoming increasingly adamant. He isn’t about to give them the satisfaction of confessing that no, he hasn’t really given it much thought before. In fact, he’s avoided it at all costs, because it’s not worth thinking about. He’s always figured that he knows himself well enough not to need silly things like introspection or sexuality crises.

Minami and Suzumiya exchange a glance before Suzumiya shrugs. “I guess he’s right. Let’s just leave him be for now.”

The two walk by him to get back to work, but just as Kaito is about to relax again, Suzumiya reaches up to pat his shoulder in passing. “Here’s some life advice from a lesbian: dancing around your feelings won’t get you anywhere.”

“Wait, what?” Kaito starts to ask, but she’s already disappeared into the café, leaving him to stare after her dumbly.

Upon further consideration, Kaito decides that he isn’t surprised that one of his co-workers is a lesbian. He couldn’t possibly be surprised by something that trivial at this point, and especially not when he’s too shaken by the doubts the other maids planted in his head.

The worst part is that they’re not entirely wrong, in some ways. He tries to tell himself that they are for the rest of the day, mentally conjuring a long list of arguments to be presented later so that he can prove once and for all that he is absolutely _not_ gay, and his rendezvous with Shuuichi does _not_ qualify as a date.

In doing so, he forces himself to ignore the fact that said rendezvous has gotten him more excited than any conversation with a girl ever has.

\------

The 25th comes all too soon, soon enough that Kaito still hasn’t completely brushed aside the teasing of the other café maids. He hears their taunts ring in the back of his mind more clearly than ever when Shuuichi texts him that he’s on his way to meet him.

He disregards them the same way that he disregarded them in person, focusing instead on preparing the kitchen. He already happened to have most of the ingredients to make a cake from scratch, so he only had to pick up a few extra things based on the information Shuuichi gave him. This will be a fairly easy endeavor, all things considered - one could even say that it’ll be a piece of cake.

Or it will be, at least, if he can stifle the gradual and terrifying realization that he probably _is_ at least a little bit gay.

When he hears the doorbell chime, he takes a few deep breaths and slaps both his cheeks before going to answer it. He knows that it's Shuuichi, because who else would it even be, and he has to mentally prepare himself to act like a normal person for the next few hours before opening the door.

“Hey, Saihara-sama!” Nailed it.

“Oh. Um, you don't have to call me that,” Shuuichi reminds him as he steps inside. “You aren't at work.”

“Oh, right. Force of habit.” Kaito lets out a little laugh that sounds nervous even to him, only to go quiet when he notices Shuuichi staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. “... What?”

Shuuichi blinks, then gives his head a quick shake. “Ah- it’s nothing." 

“You sure?” Kaito asks, eyebrows lifting. Then he glances down at himself, wondering if Shuuichi is caught off-guard by seeing him in sweats. “What, is it that weird seeing me when I’m not wearing a skirt?”

“It’s not weird!” Shuuichi answers hastily, getting a little pink. “I mean, I’ve just… never seen you so dressed down before, I suppose.” 

“Well, maids like to get comfortable too, y’know,” Kaito snorts. Then he takes Shuuichi by the arm and gives him a gentle tug in the direction of the kitchen. “Anyway, I’ve got everything we’ll need set up already, so follow me!” 

Shuuichi trails behind him, looking around in mild awe as they reach the kitchen. “Wow, you… you really planned ahead, didn't you?”

“Of course I did. I'm Kaito Momota, soon to be the greatest maid in all of Japan. I can't half-ass anything!” Kaito says, turning to flash Shuuichi a confident smile. 

“This doesn't really have anything to do with being a maid, though, does it?” Shuuichi points out as he approaches the counter. 

“Sure it does. But don't worry about that- we've got a cake to bake, don't we?” 

“Um. Right.” Shuuichi wisely refrains from questioning Kaito’s logic in order to concentrate on the matter at hand. “Where do we start?”

That’s how Kaito winds up playing the role of instructor, with Shuuichi as his clumsy but diligent pupil. Shuuichi picks up on things quickly, and takes Kaito’s advice seriously. He also displays an unprecedented amount of backbone in insisting that he do most of the work himself, with minimal interference from Kaito. After all, this is his gift to his friend, and it's only going to mean anything if he's the one making it. 

Maybe that's for the best, given how often Kaito finds himself zoning out while he watches Shuuichi work. The last thing he wants to do is fuck something up because he’s not paying attention, too busy noticing little mannerisms that Shuuichi probably isn’t even aware of - like how his tongue pokes out of the corner of his mouth when he's focused, and how he compulsively pushes his glasses farther up when he’s peering closely at something.

… It’s cute. _He’s_ cute. That’s a conscious thought that hits Kaito when Shuuichi takes his glasses off altogether to wipe them clean with his sleeve. 

The moment the cake is in the oven and they get the chance to take a break, Kaito excuses himself to go to the bathroom. Once he’s shut and locked the door behind him, he slumps back against it with a quiet groan and wonders why this is happening to him, of all people. And why now? Why did the gay thoughts have to catch up to him while he’s in the middle of a not-date with a very nice-looking boy? 

Grumbling curses at no one in particular under his breath, he steps over to the sink and turns on the cold water, cupping his hands beneath the stream and splashing his face with it several times. Duck, rinse, repeat. Duck, rinse, repeat… 

Then he shuts off the faucet, lifting his head and giving it a furious shake. After awkwardly patting himself dry, he stares himself down in the mirror with narrowed eyes. _Keep it together, Momota. Play it cool. He's your friend. You can get through one evening without making things weird. Just don't think about it._

Of course, that’s a task easier said than done when he’s left with at least thirty minutes until the cake is finished, and another fifteen before it cools enough to frost. If only he’d known what he was getting himself into. 

When he finally returns to the kitchen, Shuuichi is already attempting to tidy up, gathering used measuring cups and mixing bowls and stacking them by the sink. Wordlessly, Kaito comes over to help him, causing Shuuichi to glance up in surprise. “Oh. Hi. I just, uh, thought it might be a good idea to minimize the mess.”

“Cleaning as you go is smart,” Kaito agrees. He almost never does it himself, but Shuuichi doesn’t need to know that. 

“Right. And we’ve got a little time, so…” Shuuichi trails off, shrugging. 

“Well, don’t think I’m gonna let you do it all yourself,” Kaito says, already reaching over to run hot water in the sink. “You’ve got Kaito Momota, expert dishwasher, here to help out!” 

“Expert dishwasher?” Shuuichi quirks a brow. “I take it that’s part of the job description?” 

“Of course it is. What kind of maid can’t do dishes?” Kaito scoffs, grabbing the dish soap and a sponge. “You can be on drying duty.”

“Oh. Um… okay.” Shuuichi grabs a dish towel without protest and moves to stand next to Kaito patiently as the taller boy rinses the flour residue out of a bowl. 

In all honesty, Kaito is glad for the distraction. It gives him something to focus on that isn’t Shuuichi, which he’s sure he would be doing if he were on standby. In fact, he’s so content to devote all of his attention to making sure that every dish and utensil comes out spotless that he doesn’t notice the silence that hangs over them for the next few minutes. 

Then Shuuichi breaks it suddenly, startling Kaito out of his reverie. “Actually, Momota-kun, I’ve been wondering… why did you want to become a café maid in the first place?”

“Why, huh?” Kaito pauses and cocks his head to the side. “Well, I first visited a maid café when I was a kid, and I thought it was pretty much the coolest thing ever- especially when I saw the live show they put on. So I decided that that was what I wanted to do, and no one was gonna stop me.”

“Wow,” Shuuichi says, idly running the towel over an already-dry bowl. “That… must have taken a lot of confidence.”

“Yeah. You wouldn’t believe how much I got laughed at, at first.” Kaito shakes his head, handing Shuuichi a clean measuring cup. “I still get weird looks, but I’m used to it. I love what I do, and I’m gonna become the best at it, so I can’t let petty shit like that hold me back.”

“That’s a good way to look at it,” Shuuichi agrees. “I… to be honest, I don’t think I’d ever feel comfortable in your shoes. I doubt there are a lot of people who could do what you do and have so much fun with it.” Then he gets a small smile on his face, the one that does weird things to Kaito’s chest. “But… for what it’s worth, I admire you for that.”

Kaito clears his throat and scrubs a little harder at the dish in his hands. “Well, you’re my favorite regular, so it means a lot, actually. I wouldn’t call the job easy, but making you- making people smile is worth it.” He’s lucky to catch himself before slipping up and saying something _too_ strange, but he bites his tongue after that anyway, because that was close.

Shuuichi doesn’t seem to notice, though. He sets aside the measuring cup and says, “You’re… really good at that.”

“Thanks,” Kaito replies, hoping that his face isn’t turning the same color his hands have beneath the hot water.

It occurs to him that this is the best opportunity for face-to-face conversation that they’ve had in all the months that they’ve known each other now. He has to wonder how different he’d feel if they had taken the chance to do something like this sooner.

Then he shakes the thought aside and decides to return his attention to washing dishes. Menial chores are far easier than entertaining hypotheticals, anyway.

Besides, it doesn’t take them long to finish, at that rate. With their work space cleared, they’re able to move on to making the frosting - the fun part, in Kaito’s opinion, even if trying to get it the right color and consistency is tedious.

According to Shuuichi, his friend is enamored with space, so it’s only fitting to paint the night sky on her cake as soon as it’s cooled. He spreads shades of indigo and purple and black over the surface and sides of it, smoothing it almost perfectly with Kaito’s guidance, then dusting it with flecks of white icing to resemble stars.

Kaito could have considered it his magnum opus as far as desserts go, had Shuuichi not been the one doing most of the work. Still, it was a collaborative effort, so he thinks he has every right to take pride in the finished product.

“All right, high five!” he cheers, holding up his palm for Shuuichi to slap.

Shuuichi beams and does just that. “Thank you for all the help, Momota-kun. I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t sweat it. What are friends for, anyway?” Kaito asks with a broad grin.

“I guess, but… still,” Shuuichi says, lowering his eyes. “I know I could’ve pulled off something else for her, but I’m glad you gave me this idea. Spending time with you like this was, uh. It was nice.”

For some reason, hearing that makes Kaito feel just a bit giddy, and he’s quick to respond, “You’re welcome to do it again sometime. Anytime I’m off work or school, really.”

“Right. Um, I’ll keep that in mind.” Shuuichi’s face is still tilted down slightly, lips pursed with hesitation. 

“Something the matter?” Kaito asks, almost concerned.

“No, it’s just-” Shuuichi lifts his eyes again, stepping closer. “You’ve got a little something. On your face.”

Kaito doesn’t have the chance to ask where, exactly, before Shuuichi closes in to land a quick peck on Kaito’s cheek.

He can only stare in stunned silence as Shuuichi lowers himself back onto his heels, cheeks flushed. Shuuichi just kissed him. It was on the cheek, sure, but it was still a kiss. A kiss is a romantic gesture. That means that Shuuichi has to feel something for him, too, right? Maybe there was no need for alarm to begin with, because this cute boy that he’s been pining over for weeks just made the worst of his mounting insecurity fade with one touch of his lips. 

He snaps out of whatever trance he’s in, however, when Shuuichi starts to speak again, stammering out the beginnings of an apology. That’s not something Kaito can abide by, so he makes another snap decision. _Oh, fuck it._

“You missed,” he interrupts, knowing that there was probably nothing on his face to begin with.

“Huh?” Shuuichi’s wide eyes fix on his.

“You missed.” With that, Kaito cranes his neck down enough to kiss Shuuichi properly, the motion clumsy, but gentle.

He can already hear the inevitable laughter and snide chorus of “I told you so!” from his fellow maids, but when Shuuichi tilts his head into the kiss, Kaito decides that he doesn’t care.

\------

Shuuichi’s visits the maid café a few days later, and Kaito is more delighted than ever to see his - friend? Sort-of-boyfriend? He's still not sure what they are, exactly.

“Hey, Saihara-sama!” he greets him with all of his usual exuberance, leaning forward on the counter and waving.

“Hey, Momota-kun,” Shuuichi returns it, sounding almost bashful. He glances around, noting the few other customers, and adds, “Slow day?”

“Yeah, but that’s all right. That just means I can get away with talking to you for longer,” he answers with a sly wink, which brings a soft pink tint to Shuuichi’s cheeks.

Then he stands up straighter, recalling something important. “Oh, by the way- how’d it go? With the cake, I mean. Did your friend like it?”

Shuuichi nods. “She loved it, actually. She said it was too pretty to eat, but that didn’t stop her from doing just that. And it was really good, so… thanks again.”

“Like I said, s’nothing you have to thank me for. I mean, I had fun making it with you,” Kaito says, grinning. “So, y’know, whenever you wanna come by my place again and learn how to bake, or whatever…”

“Are you free next Sunday?” Shuuichi asks, picking at a loose thread on his sleeve. “I'm- I'm not busy then, so if you're not, then I was thinking we could maybe meet up again.”

“Sounds good to me,” he says, and he thinks he hears a giggle from somewhere behind him, but he ignores it. It's not worth acknowledging as anything more than a cue to get back to work.

Still, as he takes Shuuichi to a table, he can't help thinking that at least something good came out of the fact that they were right all along.

**Author's Note:**

> i can't believe that this is the longest fic i've ever posted


End file.
